Christmas concert video, mountain biking and Ten Tors
Christmas concert video
You can relive our amazing Christmas Concert by watching our professionally shot video below. There is nothing more to say than enjoy!
Cadets
A commendable 19 Army cadets recently conquered the Weapons Handling Safety Test, unlocking access to the ranges after a rigorous training weekend at a military camp. From 0600hrs to late night sessions, the cadets immersed themselves in learning essential safety skills and had hands on experience with the cadet rifle.
The dedication displayed by each cadet is truly commendable, demonstrating their commitment to excellence. The experience not only equipped them with essential skills but also fostered teamwork and discipline.
Meanwhile, RAF cadets devoted their efforts on their skills for the upcoming RAST competition. The anticipation is high, and we eagerly await the results of their hard work at the pending weekend.
Notably, the Army cadets are making strides in marksmanship at the DCCT range. Firing rifles from both sitting and kneeling positions, some cadets embraced this challenge for the first time. The commitment to continuous improvement and acquiring new skills is evident in their pursuit of excellence.
Congratulations to all Torquay Academy cadets for their outstanding efforts during this intensive training weekend. Your dedication and enthusiasm set a high standard for the future. Keep aiming high, and success will follow!
Mountain Biking
Our mountain bikers set out again this week for a night ride. Not for the faint-hearted, the students set out across Haldon using the skills taught to them by Mr Whelan.
Ten Tors
It was another weekend on the moors for our students as they continue to build up their training for this May’s Ten Tors event.
Year 7 Spanish
In Spanish this week, Year 7 have been revising for the Knowledge Organiser quiz and making good use of flashcards to help them to recall their vocabulary. Students have also been annotating and highlighting their workbooks, in preparation for Assessment Week. Mrs Turton (our student teacher in MFL) did a great job helping the students with questions about how to answer their Yellow Sticker (writing task) in Spanish. Our students have only been studying Spanish for 5 months and to see them produce three paragraphs of writing is very impressive! ¡Fabuloso!
Ironing with a difference
Year 7 Food Technology
Our Year 7 made some incredible vegetable omelette wraps this week. They were kind enough to make me one!
Journalism Club
A new club for students interested in journalism is starting at TA, led by Miss Jelbert. The club will support students with their entries for the BBC Young Reporters competition, which is open to students aged 11-18 who want to report on any issue that matters to them or their community. Look out for posters advertising this event in school and visit the competition website to see the winners presenting the stories they want to tell.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/young-reporter/competition/zghcydm
Art Student of the Fortnight
Luis Vizcaino is in year 13, studying for an A level in Photography. Mrs Lynch has nominated Luis as her art student of the fortnight for the extraordinary lengths he went to to gain a brilliant photograph. Luis braved the extreme cold and literally walked into the sea for an amazing self-portrait shot. Luis had previously set up the camera and tripod on the beach; he set the camera to shoot video and then very slowly and bravely walked into the water! Mrs Lynch really appreciates Luis’s dedication to his coursework and is very proud that he produced a well-composed, meaningful, beautifully lit photograph. This image is just a small part of Luis’s ‘Storytelling’ project. Well done, Luis.
Students of the Week
Year 7 – Tiffany Eastley and Jax Biagott
Year 8 – Johnny Sandbrook and Erin Glancy
Year 9 – Grace Green and George Luscombe
U12 Girls last 16 – National Schools Cup
Our girls programme this year has really progressed and it’s been a pleasure to watch the teams and individuals grow in confidence and ability. Our new year 7s have had a great start to life at TA and have shown how competitive they are already in reaching the last 16 in the country. We travelled to Bath to play Hayesfield Girls School on Thursday, which was a great experience for all of them. The game was very close, and for those watching, you could tell why both teams deserved to get this far; Hayesfield pushed us early and took the lead with two very well-taken goals, and we replied with a goal from kick-off after Emilee lobbed the keeper from the halfway line. The second half saw more goals and relentless pressure from both teams; with 5 minutes to go, the game was 4-3 to Hayesfield, so we had a last push to equalise but unfortunately were caught with a counterattack for the final score to be 5-3 to them. It’s an amazing start for the girls and also a good lesson about the levels as you progress in the competitions. Our goals on the day came from Emilee Fenner x3. Well done to all the girls for getting so far.
Gymnastics Success
Congratulations to Emily who has gained a place at the Devon Country Squad for Gymnastics following the recent trial she attended!
Sixth Form Netball Academy v Truro & Penwith College
The Sixth Form Netball Academy played in a top of the table clash down in Cornwall against Truro & Penwith College on Wednesday. Whilst the girls kept the scoreline close throughout the first half of the game, Truro came away with the win. The girls face South Devon College next Wednesday where they will try to retain their top three spot in the AOC South West League.
U18 County Cup
On Wednesday, our boys played Sidmouth in the quarter-finals of the County Cup; after a very busy week previously, we had a mixed team out with quite a few year 11s who came in and did really well. The game ended in a 4-1 win for us, and we are now excited to see who we will meet in the semi-final.
Devon Schools Table Tennis Individual Championship. 2 gold and 2 bronze medals for Torquay Academy
It was Sonny’s day !!!
15 students represented Torquay Academy in Devon Championship last Wednesday in Plymouth. For few students it was a new experience but they did well and made us proud.
We had also few favourites players, who played very good in their group stage matches. We had 4 players U13 boys who went through to the last 16 knockout stage. Unfortunately all four were in the same half of the draw. It was Sonny’s day !!!
Sonny met Olly in last 16 (won 2:1) then he beat Toby in the quarterfinals. Semifinal was Sonny vs Gustaw where, Sonny won 3:0 and advanced to the final. Well done to Gustaw for the bronze medal.
The final was a thrilling match, Sonny was 1:2 down but fought to the end and lifted Devon title winning 3:2, 11:9 !!! (Video of Sonny)
Aleksandra was our favourite girl for the title, she won it comfortably. Well done to Rosie for getting bronze medal.
Well done to Tom who went through his group in U16 boys, won a great match in last 16 but unfortunately lost to a club player in the quarterfinal after a good fight.
Results:
2 x Gold medals – in U13 Boys Sonny and in U16 Girls Aleksandra
2 x Bronze medals – in U13 Boys Gustaw and Rosie in U13 Girls
Quarterfinal in U13 Boys – Toby
Quarterfinal in U16 Boys – Tom
Round Last 16 in U13 Boys – Oliver
Well done to all and we will be back stronger next year !!!
Year 9 Rugby
The year 9s hosted Paignton this week in a rugby 7s development game. The boys played 2 games split into 4 quarters. It was high octane, end to end, energy sapping stuff with some great tries being scored. The boys had a taste of the hectic and frantic nature of 7s rugby and progressed really well as their confidence grew and they began to understand the demands of the game. After two well played matches the scores were level on tries however Paignton managed to get their kicks and the TA boys unfortunately missed two. The team have learnt from this that running underneath the posts to score can help the team massively. 7s training continues on Wednesdays and Fridays after school for Year 8 and 9 with Mr Richardson.
Governor’s Bronze Certificates
Year 7 – Tiffany Eastley
Principal’s Gold Certificates
Year 7 – Callum Carpenter, Darcy Dainton, Harry Austin, Rosie Bevan, Jackson Lane, Isla May, Poppy Haslett, Madison Wood, Andy Iftode, Catherine Ramesh Mani, Bailey Taylor, Giovanni Vaio, Heidi Milner,
Principal’s Silver Certificates
Year 7 – Edward Huxtable, Mason Maxwell, Freddy Novis, Kobi Burness-Moakes, Mila Cairney, Ebany Fawkes, Treesa Telson, Logan Payne, Stefan Manta, Jack Crabb, Gracie Fancourt, Max Kapusta, Noah Amor, Samuel Kuc, Daisy-Mae Rees, Isla Bryant, Olivia Forsdyke, Tilly Longthorpe, Edith Mackenzie, Jacob Wakefield, Tyler Jackson, Freddie Wallis, Lottie Knight, Jax Biagott, Gabi Cobain, Lottie Knight, Farah Davidson, Myah Sellick, Jesse Isemede, Wiktoria Alexsander, Charlie Berry, Theo Slater, Leo Shaw, Bonnie Stacey, Khalid Al-Ajrami
Year 8 – Anya Cosslett, Dylan Tripp, Tyler Evans and Archie Somerset
Principal’s Bronze Certificates
Year 7 – Phoebe Grindling, Jelani Ondo-Chamielec, Tate Reynolds, Seth McCann, Kumar Hopton, Cayden Castle, Aydin Kay, Madeline Woodger, Kierra O’Neill, Olivier Kawula, Tia Woodward, Ollie Humphreys, Elliott Hytche, Allen Burns-Muir, Cooper Syms, Aaron Pinto
Year 8 – Year 8 – Louise Porter, George Evans, Katie Peryer, Stella de Rose, Ellie Bowden, Ellie Simpson, Charlie Jackson and Allanna Butler
House Students of the Week
Year 7
Christie – Ruby Turner
Darwin – Mila Cairney
Fawcett – Freja Mcelkenny
Harrison – Leonard Toribio
Kitson – Seth McCann
Nearne – Riley Page
Pengelly – William New
Year 8
Brunel – Cohen Andrews
Christie – Rian Leal
Darwin – Immy Pace
Fawcett – Sean Canham
Harrison – Archie Norcott
Kitson – Scarlett Hill
Pengelly – Izzy Goldsbrough
Year 9
Brunel – Grace Halsey
Christie – Joshua Ward
Darwin – Ruby Sellick
Fawcett – Oscar Leonard
Kitson – Poppy Sims-Walton
Nearne – Thomas Connelly
Homework Students of the Week
Year 7
Christie – Haydon Coatesworth
Darwin – Gabi Cobain
Fawcett – Isla Herbert
Harrison – Emilee Fenner
Kitson – Luke Moran
Nearne – Edith Mackenzie
Pengelly – Jenson Tandy
Year 8
Brunel – Johnny Sandbrook
Christie – Benjamin Davies-Miles
Darwin – Lily Thomas
Fawcett – Toby Hamilton
Kitson – Olivia Williams
Year 9
Brunel – Natalia Spasova
Christie – Scarlett Huxtable
Darwin – Hope Bratcher
Fawcett – Kaiden Mclaren
Kitson – Neve Lithgow
Nearne – Kyron Connor
Pengelly – Leonardo Marcheggiani
University Offers this Week
| Amelie Wallace-Fisher | Bournemouth University | Communication & media |
| Amelie Wallace-Fisher | Cardiff University | Media & Communications |
| Lewis Vinson | Bournemouth University | Sports Therapy |
| Troy Riley | Plymouth Marjon | Sport Rehabilitaion and conditioning |
| Elisha Perrow | Plymouth Marjon University | Sport and exercise science |
| Ricco Moranzoni | Plymouth Marjon | Sport coaching & Physical Education |
| Bailey Denyer | University of Central Lancashire | Mechanical Engineering |
| kIAN Bowness | Plymouth Marjon | Sports rehabilitation & conditioning |
| kIAN Bowness | Plymouth Marjon | Sports Therapy |
| Ella Westwood | University of Southampton | Fashion Marketing with Management |
| Ewan Zaple-Contreras | University of Plymouth | Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year |
| Ewan Zaple-Contreras | University of Plymouth | Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year |
| Grace Cayford | Bristol, UWE | Psychology with foundation year |
| Max Grimley | Manchester Metropolitan University | Sport & Exercise Therapy |
| Olivia Simpson-Lewis | University of Exeter | Psychology |
| Leo Dunkley | University of Bristol | Neuroscience |
| Marcus Griffiths | University of Surrey | Biomedical Science |
| Amelie Wallace-Fisher | Bristol, UWE | Media Communications |
| Conner Lawrence | University of Hertfordshire | Astrophysics |
| Leo Dunkley | University of Exeter | BiologicAL Sciences |
| Oscar Yelland | Bath Spa University | Product & Furniture Design |
| Emilie Cartwright-Lomax | Coventry University | Paramedic Science |
| Kiera Davies | Arts University Bournemouth | Animation & Games |
| Ewan Zaple-Contreras | University of Exeter | Civil Engineering |
| Bailey Denyer | University of Kent | Mechanical Engineering |
| Lewis Vinson | University of Exeter | Exercise & Sport Sciences |
| Lewis Vinson | University of Portsmouth | Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences |
| Kiera Davies | Buckinghamshire New University | Animation |
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